Best of 2022: Kim Lane Scheppele on Hungary, Viktor Orbán, and its Democratic Decline | Democracy Paradox

We continue our Best of 2022 episodes with an  episode from the Democracy Paradox podcast, hosted by Justin Kempf.

So, I came back from that trip and said to one of my good friends back in Budapest, ‘I think I've met the most dangerous person I've ever met personally.’ And she said, ‘Oh Viktor, he's nothing. He's like a kid. He's in his thirties.’ I mean, he was an aspiring politician at this point. His party was at the bottom of the polls. It didn't look like he had any future. And I said, ‘No, this guy has something. It's hard to define what it is, but we're going to be hearing from him.’

Kim Lane Scheppele

A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.

Kim Lane Scheppele is the Laurance S. Rockefeller Professor of Sociology and International Affairs and the University Center for Human Values at Princeton University.

Key Highlights

• Introduction - 0:50
• Kim Lane Scheppele meets Viktor Orbán - 2:45
• Viktor Orbán as Prime Minister 1998-2002 - 9:21
• Hungary Changes its Constitution 15:56
• Orbán Undermines Democracy Legally - 26:32
• Why do Voters Support Orbán and Fidesz - 41:48

Key Links

Learn more about Kim Lane Scheppele

"How Viktor Orbán Wins" by Kim Lane Scheppele in the Journal of Democracy

9/11 and the Rise of Global Anti-Terrorism Law: How the UN Security Council Rules the World edited by Kim Lane Scheppele and Arianna Vedaschi

Additional Information

Democracy Paradox Podcast

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